Monthly Archives: September 2011

Who of us has not felt like the sleep-deprived fairy tale character in The Princess and The Pea who tossed and turned all night and couldn’t sleep? We’ve tried our best – no caffeine late in the day, no “Dagwood” sandwiches before bed, a fresh well-ventilated bedroom and ear plugs to muffle traffic sounds or spouse’s snores!

Even the bed looks so inviting. The mattress is tall, with multi-comfort layers and a pillow-top. The sheets high thread count cotton, a wonderful collection of pillows and the down duvet in it’s beautiful decorator cover. Surely we have created a good sleeping environment. But have we forgotten the most important thing:

How do our bodies function while we are asleep?

Our metabolism slows during sleep but continues to produce heat and moisture vapour. In order to maintain natural body temperature and a restful state, this heat and moisture vapour must be dissipated or thermal stress will result. Heart rate and blood pressure rises, perspiration occurs and the bed covers will be thrown on and off. Our sleep patterns are broken and we wake up restless and uncomfortable.

Most popular mattress materials such as memory foam, cotton, polyester and polyurethane foam have very poor breathability and virtually no moisture control ability. Combine these bed materials with high thread count sheets, heavy decorative duvet covers and downproof material on the duvet itself, and our bodies are in a constant state of thermal stress and unhealthy sleep patterns.

The simple choice of a Dormio wool duvet, wool mattress pad or even a wool pillow will greatly improve sleep quality. Only wool creates a microclimate which assists in regulating body temperature and humidity, thus relieving thermal stress and promoting a deeper more refreshing sleep.

Thermal stress, a leading cause of poor sleep, is now eliminated, but other health issues still need to be solved.

Polyurethane foams are a major component of most popular beds and mattresses, even though years of studies have proven the chemicals used in their manufacture are known carcinogens. As well, many sleepers are negatively affected by the chemical off-gassing of both polyurethane and memory foams. For some, these sensitivities are mild, but for others they can be very debilitating and can cause major health problems.

Ergonomic problems with bed support, comfort and lack of mattress longevity also negatively affect sleeping patterns. Compression of muscles and joints by too-hard mattresses cause tossing, turning and restlessness. Lack of support and mattress breakdown can cause back and neck problems. The choice of a 100% natural latex mattress will help solve these concerns.

So how do our bodies sleep with Dormio Wool Bedding Products and Latex Mattresses? Great!

Has our sleep quality improved? YES!!

No more thermal stress, no more ergonomic problems with support and comfort, and great psychological comfort in the knowledge you have made the correct, natural bed and bedding choices to ensure better quality, healthier sleep.

Hypnos has been practicing and perfecting the art of making, made to measure, luxury pocket spring beds by hand since Edwardian days.

With over 100 years of bed making experience and insight into a great night’s sleep, Hypnos’s philosophy and environmental commitment focuses on the pursuit of perfection and the delivery of a deep, energizing night’s sleep, helping to fulfil dreams for a healthy and enjoyable life.

Combining pressure relieving pocket springs and the finest natural materials with Royally Appointed British craftsmanship, ensures Hypnos earns its reputation for making the most comfortable beds in the world.
Hypnos’s great comfort and value for money – a view shared by Conde Nast Johansens who have appointed Hypnos as their preferred mattress and bed partner.

Discover the Secret of a Great Night’s Sleep

A Hypnos pocket spring bed has been designed to immediately recognize your body’s unique imprint, providing pressure relief, comfort and support exactly where you need it, seamlessly adjusting to your every move. Natural fillings like wool, cotton, cashmere and silk regulate body temperature. The result, a relaxing and undisturbed night’s sleep, body and mind renewal and a kick-start to a productive and enjoyable day.

A Labour of Love

Each Hypnos bed is a bespoke creation, handcrafted to perfection, a masterpiece. Hypnos places the elements of quality, comfort and exquisite hand tailoring above all else, guaranteeing years of sumptuous and comfortable sleep.

Every Hypnos bed is individually made to measure, made to order and made by hand. Our craftsmen, their passion, their experience and their unparalleled attention to detail assures exceptional quality.

Sleeping Beauty

We spend a third of our lives asleep, so there can be no better investment than a quality hand crafted bed. Treat yourself, create a truly personal design statement and beautiful centrepiece for your bedroom.

Hypnos is the only bed manufacturer to actively supply the British Royal Family and the Royal Household.

A Royal Warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II provides Hypnos with a ‘mark’ of excellence and reinforces Hypnos’s reputation for the very best of British quality. Indeed, Hypnos does not just make beds for the home, Hypnos beds can also be found around the world in the finest palaces, estates and hotels.

Dormio Organic Bedsâ€¦.naturally better

Best selection of natural and organic quality mattresses and bedding in the Greater Toronto Area!

The natural movement, which started with organic food, is moving to the bedroom in a big way.

The natural bedroom trend is motivated by some very recent disturbing discoveries about the petroleum-based foam mattresses most of us sleep on every night. Studies of household dust have confirmed that your mattress is likely one of the most significant sources of cancer-causing chemicals in your home. The average mattress consists of petroleum-based foam covered in petroleum-based polyester fabric. During its 10-year average lifetime, a foam mattress loses up to half its weight, and the lost weight goes on your bedroom floor in the form of toxic dust and in the air in the form of formaldehyde gas which is a by-product of the foam breakdown. Those dust bunnies under your bed could be a real threat to your health, unless you use an organic mattress which does not break down into these toxic by-products.

The foam mattress story gets even more scary. The average petroleum-based foam queen-sized mattress is soaked in about a pound of fire retardant chemicals called PDBEs, which were first been banned in Europe, and now also in North America.

Makes you wonder how safe the replacement fire retards are!

PDBEs are chemicals which are similar to the banned PCBs, and they build up in the body like DDT and PCBs. The PDBEs were used because they were the simplest and cheapest way to conform to mattress fire resistance codes. They are also promoted by the chemical industry, which recently sponsored tightening of the mattress fire resistance codes. While these new codes will save an estimated 27 lives a year from fires, these new regulations play Russian roulette with the future health of millions of north Americans that sleep on these petroleum-based foam mattresses.

The solution to this problem is to remove petroleum-based bedding from your home, and this has spawned the burgeoning natural bedroom movement. The cornerstone of this trend is the natural fibre mattress, which is the same kind of mattresses our ancestors used before the rise of the petrochemical industry after World War II. It is also interesting to note that current cancer rates are more than 5 times higher than before World War II, when everybody was sleeping on natural fibre mattresses by definition, because there was no petrochemical industry during those times.

Examples of a natural mattress include:

1. Cotton and wool batting innerspring mattresses with a cotton fabric cover. Wool is naturally fire retardant and meets all US fire codes.

2. A Natural latex mattress, whose foam is made from the latex sap of the rubber tree and which require no fire retardants because natural rubber does not burn well.

3. Luxury natural fibre mattresses which use combination of all three materials, cotton, wool, and latex, to produce maximum comfort mattresses that rival any non-natural mattresses.

Natural fibre mattresses also have comfort advantages over traditional petroleum-based foam mattresses. They wick away moisture from the body much more thoroughly than clammy polyester and man-made foam, stopping night sweating and cutting down on problems like athlete’s foot and jock itch. Wool also regulates body temperature very well, which is important for a restful sleep. Natural latex foam and wool are resistant to dust mites, which cause allergies in many people, and cotton and latex are both hypoallergenic materials. Natural fibre mattresses are also considered a must for people with chemical sensitivities.